Game apparatus



Sept'. 22,` 1936.' c. R. KIRK Er AL l 2,054,983

GAME APPARATUS original Filed Deo. s, 1.954

lNvENToR. Claude Rllfrh Edward I Collisoh l 'f 1R ATTRNBYS PatentedSept. 22, 1936 GAME APPARATUS l .Claude R. Kirk and Edward E. Collison,Chicago,

11.1., assignors, vby mesne assignments, to Exhibit Supply Company,Chicago, Ill., a corporation of YIllinois `original application December3, ,1934, serial No. 755,680. Divided and this'application February iA'2'.7, 1936, YSerialNo. 65,940

2 claims. (C1. 2737-121) This 'invention relates to a game apparatus.

-It is an=object of this invention to provide an improved `gameapparatusfwhich is relatively simple and Iinexpensivefin constructionand efancient in use. V N Y v This application is a division of ourapplication on la Game apparatus; Serial No. 755,680, led December 3,l934,-a'nd allowed December 17, 1935. f Anotherobject of the present'invention is to provide certain improvements upon the score-`recordingand registering devicev shown and described in our Patent No.1,973,815 granted September 18, 1934, on a Game apparatus.

'fA furtherv objectr of this yinvention is to provide l1'5 an improvedelectromagnetic device for resetting the score registering and printingv'deviceofof the game apparatus shown in nur afcrementioned patentbackfinto initial or reset position upon `the insertion of `a propercoin into thecoin aper- '2'0 ture of the coinslide and operation oil thelatter.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consistsf'in 'the novel combination and arrangement oiVparts to jbe hereinafter.

described and claimed.

The invention will be bestunderstood by .reference to the accompanyingdrawing-,showing the preferred Vform of construction, andin which;

Fig. l'is a vertical sectionalxview of a game Y 'apparatus embodying apreferredl form of our inoventon y n `g. l2 isa vertical Asectional Viewof the ball elevating device, on line 22 vin Fig; 1.; Y

` Fig, 3 is a sectional view on line 3--3 in Fig. 2;

' Fig. 4 vis a top plan vievvof'the ball elevating de- Fig. 5 isfafragmentaryv side elevational View of the ball elevating device onlined-5 inI Fig. 4;

Fig.' 6 Vis a side'f'elevational View showing part of theelectro-magnetic* device for resetting the 4,0 vscore registering andp'rintingfmechanism back Vinto'freset'position after operationlof thesame; ljligf 'Z'is' a fragmentary elevational detail view "showingcertain parts of the resetting mechanism for theregistering gears; and

Fig. 8 is a diagrammaticviewshowing thevelectro-,magnetic circuitembodied in the invention. A game apparatus embodying 'a preferred formof our present inventionis shown in the drawing, is generallyv indicatedtherein'Vat--Im `and in- 'fiofcludes acabinet I'I within-which islarranged an inclined playing'bo'ard I2'upon whichfballs may Abepropelled anyf'suitable' manner as',` for example, by means of thelusualyspring-#urged plunger orypropellingjdevice T(not shown) AwhereuponLlilthe' played balls n.'ia'y gravitat'e over'the inclined projectsthrough an openingv 56, which is formed playing board and drop lthroughany one of a predetermined number` of ball exit openings formed intheplaying board I2; after which the played balls Vare returned to amagazine II; the

latter being arranged adjacent to the elevating f device, which isgenerally indicated at I3, and by means rof which the balls are elevatedone ata time from a point below the playing board I2,

thatV is', fromr the magazine I1, up to thelevel of l ets I6 which areadapted to communicate onevat a Ytime with the open lower end of theball return runway or magazine by means of which balls vare `fed intothe pockets I6 for elevation up to the level ofthe playing board I2; theballs being dumped from the pockets I6 onto the playing surface byreason of the axial inclination of the pockets I6 toward the playingboard I2, as shown in Fig. 2; the rotaryelevator disc I4 being operatedby means of an operating lever 24, which is pivotally mounted on theelevator housing 30, as at 25, and Vhas a portion projecting exteriorlyof the cabinet AI I,

Formed V,uponthe axially outerside of VVthe elevator disc I4 .istaratchet 26 with which isV associated an operating pawl 2l; Vone endportion of this operating pawl 2'Ijbeing pivotally con- The pawl 21 hasan angled end portion 3l which in a'Wall of the elevator housing, intoengagement with the teeth of the ratchet 26 sol that therotary elevatordisc I4 may be rotated A (c'ounterclockwise, Fig. 5) by' depression ofthe hand lever 24, thereby pivoting the link 46' and pawl 44 from fullto dotted line position (Fig. 7)

The present invention is in one aspect thereof concerned with theprovision kof an electro-magnetic device for preventing furtheroperation of rthe rotary elevator disc I4 after a predetermined numberof balls have been elevated thereby from 4the ball return runway ormagazine I'I up to the level 'of the playing board I2, and toV this end,there is provided in the cabinet II' adjacent the elevating device I3an electro-magnetic solenoid 2 I Y Y 2,054,983

elevator disc I4, as shown in Fig. 3, the latch or stop member 28 beingurged (clockwise, Fig. 3) by means of a spring 22 and being movablebetween two stop members or pins 32 and 33 which are carried by the discI4 and project laterally from the inner side thereof. The arm I9 of thesolenoid I8 is. urged by a spring 52 (fromleft to right, Fig. 2) intoengagement with the latch member 2D.

The foregoing arrangement is such that when a predetermined number ofballs have been'elevated by the disc I4 up ontogthe playingeld I2, andthe disc I4 has been rotated'apredetermined circumferential distance,the latch member 20 is positioned, as in full lines, Fig. 3, and engagesthe stop member or armature I9 of the electromagnetic device or solenoidI8, thusV preventing vfurther operation of the rotary Yelevator disc I 4(clockwise, Fig. 3) until the arm I9 is withdrawn from engagement withthe latch or sto'pme'mber 28. This is accomplished as follows: Thesolenoid i8 is arranged in an electromagnetic circuit 23 (Fig. 8) whichincludes a source .of energy 31 and a relatively stationary contact 34;the latter being engageable with a movable contact 35 carriedbythe coinslide 36 to close the electromagnet circuit 23. This arrangement is suchthat when a proper coinis inserted into the c oinaperture of thecoin'slide 36 and the latter is pushed inwardly (right to left, Figs. 1and 8), the movable contact 35 carried by the Acoin slide 36 engages thestationary Y contact 34, which is arranged i'n the lcabinet II, andthereby closes the electromagnetic circuit 23, whereupon the solenoid.-I8 withdraws its arm I9 against the action of thespring`52 out Vof thepath of `movement of the latch member 20 (right Yto left, Fig.

v2,). This 'frees the latchmember 20 from engagement with theelectro-magnetically operated stop member or armature I9, whereupon thespring 22 npivots the latch member` 20 (clockwise, vfrom full vto dottedline position,I Fig. 3) past the armature or stop member 20, thusfreeing Ythe elevator disc I4 for further operation (clockwise, Fig.`3).However, as soon as the coin slide36 is retracted and the circuit 23 is`broken, the'armature `I9 again returns 'to its effective position, Fig.2.

The ,ticket or score printing device of our`a'fore'- Ymentioned patentincludes aY Yhorizontal Vshaft' 38 which maybe arranged in a cabinet,such asV II,

and this shaft 38 carries a radially extending arm 39. In' the presentinvention We provide this arm 39 withfa lateral extension 40and slidablyvextended through an opening fo'rmedvin the eX- tension48iisian armature4| of a solenoid'42. This solenoid 42 is mounted on a' supporting walll53 which isv arranged in the cabinet |I,and this solenoid 42` isincluded in an electromagnetic circuit V49 (Fig. 8) the vcircuit 49including the source of energyv 3l which'is also common to the vcircuit,23, and being controlled by the operation of the coin slide 36and-associated contacts 34-35.

Pvotally mounted in the cabinetV I l above the shaft 38 is a latchmember generally indicated at 43 (Fig. 7), and this latch member 43 isformed as a part of a rectangular frame or carriage which includes sidearms 4.4k and a horizontal bar 45; and mounted 'on the shaft 38 is anarm 46 which has acam portion 4'I; the latch member 43 being urged by aspring (not shown) into latching engagement with the main timing gears'48 of the scoreregistering and printing device shown in ouraforementioned patent and to -which reference may be had for a morecompletedescription of the thereby closes the electromagnetic circuit 49(Fig.

8) ,whereupon the solenoid 42 acts upon its armature 4| to move thelatter (right to left, Fig. 6), thereby rocking Ythe shaft 38(counterclockwise,

' as seen inFigs. 6 and '7).

During this motion of the rock shaft 38, the cam portion 41 of the latchreleasing member 46 engages the horizontal bar portion 45 of the timinggear latchjmember 43, and thereby pivots the timing; gear latch member43 (clockwise, as seen in Fig. 7) thus disengaging the horizontal bar 50of the latch member 43 from latching engagement with themain timinggears 48 of theiscorenrecording or printing. device, and thereby freeingthe timing gears which are thereupon returned or re-set` baci; intotheir initial positionby an operating spring (not shown) which acts uponthe vhorizontal s haft 5 l jand theA timing; gears 48 to rotate thesaineV (counterclockwise, Fig. 7) back into re-set position wherein they'are stopped and held by the engagement of a laterally-extending pin 54whichiscarriedfby one of the timing gears 48 with a horizontalextensionorlatchingfportion 5 5 of the `memberM, as shownin dotted lines (Fig.7).

The arrangement ofthe score printing and registering devicein thepresent application differssomewhat f romthat shown in our aforesaidpatent, since in the present case the Vregistering and recordingdevicesY are arranged in the upper end of theca'binet (left hand'end,Fig. 1 rather than in the lower end-of the' same (right hand e'ndfFig.;l), IasI in our Aaforesaid patent.

While we have Villustrated and described'the preferred fforrn ofconstruction for carrying our invention 'in'to effect, this is capable4of variation and modication, without departing from the spirit ofv theinvention. VWe, therefore, do not wish Yto be limited tothe precisedetails of Vconstruction set forth,` but -desire to avaifourselves fof'sucfh` variationsfafidF modicatons as come also being of thetype'having means in the said cabinetthereof for recording: the scoringvalues ofthe played balls: `rrieans including Vtiming gears rotated bythe spent balls'f'or advancing said recording means finta stepbysteprotary movement; means Vnormally latching the said timing gears againstretroactive rotation'into their ini-- tial or re-'set position a nelectrical circuit vincludiing an electromagnetic device'forreleas'ing@said v latcl'iing means fromlatching engagement with said timinggearsso thatV the latter Amay be rotated back into their initial or re-setposition;

and means 'for opening Aand closing said'electromagnetic l circuit so asto energize. said-'electromagneticdevice and thereby move the same intoposition to""rel'a'se said latehing rre'ans 'from latching engagementwith said timing gears so that the latter may be rotated back into theirinitial or re-set position.

2. In a game apparatus of the type which includes a. cabinet having amember providing a ball-playing surface adapted to have balls propelledthereover and the spent balls being adapted to pass from the said ballplaying surface to a point below the same and said game apparatus alsobeing of the type having means in the said cabinet thereof for recordingthe scoring values of the played balls: means including timing gearsrotated by the spent balls for advancing said recording means in a stepby step rotary movement; means normally latching the said timing gearsagainst retroactive rotation intotheir initial or re-set position; anelectrical circuit including an electromagnetic device for releasingsaid latching means from latching engagement with said timing gears sothat the latter may be rotated back finto their initial or re-setposition; and means for opening and closing said electromagnetic circutincluding an actuating member movably mounted in a wall of said cabinetand adapted, when moving away from its initial position, to close saidcircuit so as to energize said electromagnetic device and thereby movethe same into position to release said latching means from latchingengagement with said timing gears so that the latter may be rotated backinto their initial or re-set position.

CLAUDE R. KIRK. EDWARD E. COLLISON.

